About Raquel E. Fleskes, Ph.D.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Dartmouth College. My research falls at the intersection of ancient DNA, archaeology, and community engagement. I use ancient DNA and population genetic methods to understand the population history of colonial period North America. These methods are then interpreted alongside archaeological and other bio-molecular techniques to understand lived experience, ancestry, and relationships in the colonial Americas.

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Within this context, I focus on community engagement and scientific communication in collaboration with descendant communities and other community stakeholder groups to make science accountable to the communities it impacts. I am specifically interested in understanding the lived histories of European and African descended individuals by co-interpreting ancient DNA data with archaeological, osteological, archival and oral history sources.